Shim for tie plates



Nov. 2 1926. 1,604,961

E. H. BELL' Er AL SHIM FOR TIE PLATES I DFiled May 8, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l 1926. l 1,604,961 Nov' 2 l E; H. BELL, Er AL SHIM FOR TIE PLATES Filed May a. 192s 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Nov. 2, 1926.

uNlTso STATES -lv i,6o4,961

PATENT oFFicE.

EDWIN 2E. BELL AND WILLIAM' S. BOYCE, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

srrnvr non TIE PLATES.

Application led May 8,

rlhis invention relates to devices used in railway tracks and more particularly to -a relatively thin or shim-like device, to be inserted between a railway tie and a tie plate', and which for convenience we have herein described as a shim for tie plates.

. Heretofore, due to climatic or other conditions. rendering the rails'uneven, it has been the practice on some'railroads to remove the spikes, raise the rails and the tie plates, and then shim and readjust the level of the track by inserting a thin wood shingle or a thin shim of ywood on` the 'tie and beneath the tie plate, and to then respike they rail and tie plate to the tie,.the spike also passing through the shingle. When climatic conditions change, as for example, when the frost is out of the ground, these shingles are generally removed. The shingles are generally indented, mutilated and cut by the ribs and projections common to the under surfaces: of tie plates, as the latter, under train loads,l bear -down upon the shingle. The life of the shingle therefore is, at best, only a matter of a few months.

The principal object. of our invention is to construct a device of relatively thin wood, of l fibre or of other suitable material, which shall have an initially formed, pressed or molded tie plate seat or surfacejcorresponding with the contour, both transverseand longitudinal, of the bottom of the tie plate under which vit is to be used, whether the tie plate hasa configurated or a' fiat bottom surface. novel form'of track device\which may be used not only to shim up uneven jrails al@ ready in track but which may be used when the track is initially laid. Another object is to produce a track device which may be held in position on the tie not only by the weight above it, but also by the rail spikes passing through spike holes cut' through the shim; and finally to Yproduce a track shim which is larger lin surface area than the area of the tie plate with which it is to be used and which maybe initiall secured upon the tie by nails gr screws, in ependently of the rail spikes passing throu h it.

These and other o jects of our invention, and thel advantages thereof, will more fully appear as'we proceed with this specification; our invention consisting of a relatively thin, shim-like, track member having yits upper surface initially conforming to the bottom Another object is to produce a' 'whole p the tie plate B is provided in its bottom sur- 192e. serial no. 107,562.

surface of the tie plate under which it is to be used and in the novel device and combinations of devices herein illustrated, described and more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

Iii the drawings: x' Figure l shows in a perspective view, the end of a railway tie with a tie plate in posl-v tion thereon, and our' improved shim resting T of our shimupon a tie, the outline of they tie plate being indicated in dotted lines.

Figure 6 is a bottom view of a modified .form of tie plate with which our improved shim may be used.

Figure 7 is a transverse, vertical, sectional view of the .plate shown, in the plane of the dotted line 7--7of Figure 6, together with a transverse section of the form of shim to be used with said plate. J

Figure 8 is a longitudinal, vertical, sectional ,view of a still further modified form of tie plate, with our'modiied form 'of shim i shown in juxtapositionthereto. e

Figures 9, 10, and 11 illustrate other modified forms of tie plate with which our improved shim nlay be associated. Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing, IDT-*represents a tie-of the usual con-v struction, B a tiefplate,and C our shim, as a In this form it will beobserved that face, with a. central, median, transverse l.groove or recess, the surface of which recess -is indicated by the line 1; and also with end recesses 2, 2. Intermediate the end recesses and extending transversel of the plate, one on each side of` 'the me an recess 1, are downwardl projecting portions 3. The to of the tie p ate B is provided with the usua rail bearing surface 4 and with a transverse, upwardly extending rail abutting shoulder or rib 5. Spike holes 6 are punched through susV 'u lng means being independent of the spikes Our shim C is provided with a fiat bottom surface 7. Intermediate its endsand spaced apart by a recessed central portion 8 are two transversely extending grooves or recesses 9, 9. It will be .seen by reference to Figure 2 that the top surfaces 10, 10, at each end of the shim, correspond with the recesses 2, 2, of the tie plate B, that the recesses 9, 9, of the shim correspond with the projecting surfaces 3, 3, of the plate, and that the.central or median' projection 8 of the shim corresponds with the median recess 1 of the plate. The shim is also provided with spike holes 11, 11, arranged to register with the spike holes 6, 6, of the plate.

It `will be understood, as clearly illustrated by Figures l and 2, that the topsurface of the shim C is shaped and configurated -to correspond with the configuration of the bottom surface of the plate B and to form a firm seat for the plate B. It will be understood that the rails (not shown) of the track are placed upon the surface 4 of the plate Band are spiked down in the usual manner by spikes (not shown), driven throughvthe spike holes 6, 6, and 11, 11, firmly uniting the plate B and the shims C to the tie A.

Referringnow to Figures 3 and 4, it will vbe understood'that the'shim D is of somewhat larger surface ar`ea than the plate with which it is to be used,-that illustrated being a fiat bottom plate. The shim D in this instance is provided with Va recess in its top surface, of a length and widthequal to the length and width of the plate E so that said plate when seated will rest in the shim D as clearly shown in Figure 4. The shim D may be set directly on top of the tie in the same manner asthe shim C (Figure 1), but this is not imperative, as in some instances it may be desirable to slightly recess the tie A and to seat the shim D in said recess as shownin Figure 4, with; the bottom surface 12 of the shim D below the top surface 13 of the tie.

In Figure 5 we have shown a shim F having a top surface configurated substantially the same as the shim C, but ofpa Iength greater than the length of the tie plate to be laid u on it. The dimension ofthe tie plate is indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 5 and it will be observed that at either end of said plate the shim F has van extension 15 which constitutes means for fastening the himto the'tie 'A by screws 16 or nails 17 or any other suitable means, saidshim fasten-l which will be driven through the spike holes 11 11.

in Figure e is illustrated the well known compression bottom form of 'tie plate G, which is provided, among other things, on its i bottom'surface, with a series of arcuate depressionsvlS. With such a tie plate we contemplate oon ating our improved shim, i shown in modlied form at H in Figure 7,

with an undulating top surface 19 comanother type of tie plate, shown at J in Figure 8. A

As before stated, Figures 9, 10 and 11 merely illustrate different configurations or forms of bottom surfaces 22', 23, 24, of different types of tie plates with which our shims may be used,-it being understood that theA seat for the tie plate will'be formed in the top surface of the shim to correspond with the particular form of bottom of tie plate with which it is to be used, whether the plate be that shown in these drawings or any other type of plate.,Y

, The method of shaping lor configurating the top surface ofthe shim to render it complemental to and a seatfor the bottom of A the particular type of tie plate with which the shim'is tobe used, is quite immaterial to our invention and may be varied as desired by the manufacturer of the shim. In some v cases, however, the wood may be steamed and its to'p surfaced by a suitable reciprocable die.A In other cases the material may be ressed or molded by suitable means.

ne of the advantages of our improved shim lies in the fact that when placed upon a tie in track and the tie plate is laid upon the shim, the plate is instantly seated and the rail, tie plate and shim may then be spiked to the tie. The prompt initial seating of the tie plate in the configurated shim v binds `the two together in the sense that when movement of the rails in use in track tends to shift the plate,V the tendency to shifting. movement is ,automatically imparted to' the shim as well, so'that relative movement between the tie plate and the tie is avoided, and relative frictional movement had only between the shim and the tie. And, as the frictional engagement of the bottom of the shim with the top ofthe tie is greater than the'normal frictional engagement of a metal "tie plate with a wooden tie,the actual wearing of the tie due to frictional movement upon it is substantially negative (the shim the tie, not'being mutilated or cut by direct contact with a metal tie plate, is not subject to the usual decay due to moisture entering the tie as it is when mutilated.

We 'claimas vour invention:

1. As a new article lof manufacture, a ,Shim for tie plates, having its top surface of the bottom of the tie plate with which it is to be used.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a shim made of relatively thin fibrous material, for use beneath a tie plate, the top surface of the shim being initially shaped complemental to the shape of the bottom of the tie plate with which it is to be used.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a shim for use in track between a tie plate and a tie, the shim being of soft texture relative to the tie plate and having a seat for the tie plate initially formed in its upper surface.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a shim -for tie plates, having a tie plate sea-t molded or pressed initially in its top surface.

5. As a new article of manufacture, a shim of fibous material for use between a tie and than that of the tie plate with which it is to be used, the top surface of the shim having an initially form-ed .seat for the tie plate, and means for fastening the shim to a tie.

6. As a new 4article'of manufacture, a shim for use between a tie and a tie plate, having a greater surface area than that of the tie plate with which it is to be used, the

top surface of the shim having an initially formed seat for the tie plate, and means for fastening the shim to the tie independently of tie plate fastening means.

Inltestimony, that we claim the foregoing as our invention We affixv our signatures this 4th day of May, 1926.

:EDWIN H. BELL. WILLIAM s. Boron.

initially shaped complemental to the shape a tie plate, having a lgreater surface area 20 

